Posts

On September 29, the House of Representatives passed legislation known as the Zadroga Bill. This bill, if signed into law, will provide free health benefits for first responders to the attacks on 9/11. The bill was passed mostly on party lines by a vote of 268-160. The full name of the legislation is the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The New York Daily News reports the bill will provide ongoing health benefits and more than $7 billion in compensation to the 9/11 rescue workers....

In one of our perennially popular Free Enterprise posts we ran down a to-do list for starting a nonprofit. Now, let’s take it one step further and talk about what you need to do if you want to have a smooth ride through the IRS nonprofit tax exemption process. Here’s a simple checklist so be sure to click on the links throughout the post for more detailed information. Research and reserve a name....

If you are involved in a business partnership, you already know that the business itself doesn’t pay taxes. Rather, in a partnership, tax liabilities flow directly on to the individual tax return of each partner, based on the partnership agreement. Now that the 2018 books are closed, here are a few tax tips specifically designed for business partnerships. 1. Keep Excellent Records Because partnership taxes flow through to your personal tax returns, you claim both the income and the expenses of the partnership....

As a business, is a jury trial your friend or your foe? It seems that the general impression is that small businesses and juries don’t mix. Maybe part of the reason why businesses seem to be hesitant toward jury trials is the media impression and the generalization of juries being sympathetic toward alleged victims of a business’ greed and misdeeds. Case in point: tobacco company Philip Morris has been slammed with huge jury verdicts in the past, with one jury once awarding a plaintiff $3 billion in punitive damages and $5....

An after-market seat on a BMW motorcycle allegedly led to a biker’s bizarre medical condition: an erection that’s lasted two long years. Henry Wolf is suing BMW of North America and Corbin-Pacific Inc., the maker of his after-market seat, in a product liability lawsuit filed in San Francisco, USA Today reports. After a four-hour bike ride in May 2010, Wolf claims the motorcycle’s “ridge-like seat” gave him a “severe case of priapism (a persistent lasting erection),” his lawsuit states....

It happens sometimes that people get behind on bills and rent. Maybe you had unexpected expenses, an emergency illness, or something else came up. If you are going to be late to pay and you know in advance, then you should definitely address this issue with your landlord. But no, your landlord cannot harass you for money wherever you are known to go, and you do have recourse in the law if that happens....

As several states are considering bills that would, in effect, reinforce a business owner’s right to refuse service to gay and lesbian customers, many may be wondering if it’s even legal to do so. With a patchwork of federal, state, and local laws in place regarding the rights of gays and lesbians in public accommodations – i.e., most businesses that are open to the public – the issue can get a bit confusing....

We book rooms in people’s houses rather than stay in hotels, and we get rides from strange drivers in their personal vehicles instead of grabbing a cab, so of course we buy stuff online, too. With new technology making it possible, every year we grow more accustomed to doing deals a little differently. But the ease with which we now exchange with strangers also makes us more susceptible to scams. Enter the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker....

Last year, students in the Detroit Public School system sued the State of Michigan, claiming “their school buildings, unlike those of other Michigan students, are replete with conditions ’that make learning nearly impossible’ … that their schools, unlike other Michigan students’, lack enough teachers to hold classes in which they would learn to read [and] unlike other Michigan students, they lack books necessary to attain literacy.” These defects in their education, they alleged, amounted to a denial of their constitutional right to access to literacy....

Congratulations on turning 18 – you have reached the age of majority! Officially, you are an adult who can go to war and get married without anyone’s consent, rent an apartment or be sentenced to prison, and other grown up privileges. We’ll raise a glass to cheer that in a few years when you can legally drink alcohol. In the interim, let’s consider the many things you will now be responsible for and able to do because you are an adult....

For companies that choose not to buy their office space, a commercial lease may be the biggest expense your business has each month. Something that’s so central to your work needs proper attention. Figuring out the details of the lease is important to small business owners but in many circumstances they don’t take the time to go over it and negotiate the terms. That means every month the company paying out money that could go somewhere else....

Can “just kidding” be an effective legal defense? As we observe the prankiest of “holidays,” April Fools’ Day, there will be more than one jokester who invokes “JK” as a defense. While “just kidding” may placate coworkers and friends in social situations, it may have mixed success in court. For example, many crimes require a specific mental state or intent in order to find a defendant (even a joking one) guilty....

Late last week, a string of gas explosions rocked three Massachusetts towns just north of Boston. Over 60 gas fires led to one death and over 25 injuries, more than 400 people in shelters, and about 18,000 customers losing power for over three days. Hundreds of investigators are on the scene to determine what happened, but one thing’s for sure: Governor Charlie Baker removed Columbia Gas as the monopolistic provider in the area, replacing it with Eversource, who will also be overseeing all restoration efforts....

A Two Part Series on Marriage and Divorce Rates in the Current Economy Part Two, Mad Men: The Mancession and Marriage As discussed in Part I, the recession has had a marked effect not only on American lives, but on the state of American marriage, and the results can be somewhat surprising. In this section, we will briefly review the effect of recent job losses on men and marriage. Many have termed the Great Recession the “mancession” because the brunt of the job losses have fallen on male workers....

Osama bin Laden is dead, and it seems as though the entire country is celebrating. But on the outskirts remain his supporters and our nation’s conspiracy theorists, people who are demanding proof that the 9/11 mastermind has actually been killed. With his body somewhere out at sea, the only proof that remains is DNA evidence and photographs. Should they be released? While publishing an Osama bin Laden photo or two may certainly grant definitive closure to those personally affected by 9/11, releasing it might not do so much good abroad....

A convenience store clerk armed with a machete fended off an attempted armed robber in a scary incident caught on surveillance video. Many store owners may be left wondering if this is a legal way to protect themselves. The machete-wielding clerk was confronted in his store on Long Island, New York, by a masked man who threatened him with a .22-caliber handgun. Machetes aren’t the only means of protection for sole proprietors, however, and employers should keep a few legal considerations in mind when protecting their businesses....

In an update regarding the potentially hefty charges facing the adoptive mother (and biological aunt) of quadriplegic 9-year-old Shylea Myza Thomas (read original post on story here), CNN reports that Lorrie Thomas has indeed now been charged with second degree murder and child abuse (plus tampering with evidence). Another report from the Flint Journal indicates that even though an autopsy report actually found “no signs of physical trauma”, the preliminary findings do indicate that Shylea died as a result of “chronic malnourishment and neglect”, which would be bourne out by the fact that she weighed only 33 pounds at the time of her death....

Starting a small business can be taxing, both literally and figuratively. Figuring out your business tax obligations is one of the biggest hurdles facing small business owners. You never know when Uncle Sam is going to conduct an audit on your business, so it’s best to make sure you cover all your bases. But with so many tax rules in place, where should you begin? Here are 10 basic tax tips for small businesses that can help keep you off the IRS’s radar:...

Smoking is down in the U.S. and smoking bans are up. Of course that’s not to say that the decrease in smoking is distributed evenly or that everyone is happy about smoking bans. According to Slate, less than 13 percent of Americans smoke every day. However in states such as Kentucky and West Virginia, 40 percent of the population smokes on a regular basis. When it comes to smoking in bars and restaurants, cities and states continue to fight a back and forth between those who want all-out smoking bans and those that believe there should be some places left to smoke....

Fewer death sentences were handed down in 2009 than any year since the 1976. States death penalty rates have declined significantly during this decade. CNN reports that this year the annual number of death sentences in the U.S. has dropped since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976 In addition, eleven states are now considering abolishing executions. There were 106 death sentences issued in 2009, compared to 235 issued in 2000....